Cover Me Up

Album: Southeastern (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Jason Isbell finished recording Southeastern two days before his wedding to fiddle player Amanda Shires. The album's opening track finds him asking Shires to cover him with love.

    It's cold in this house and I ain't going out to chop wood
    So cover me up and know you're enough
    To use me for good
  • Amanda Shires is also the woman who got Isbell sober.

    Put your faith to the test when I tore off your dress
    In Richmond on high
    But I sobered up and I swore off that stuff
    Forever this time


    Isbell had discussed getting sober extensively but it was only in February 2012, when Amanda Shires initiated an intervention with a couple of others that he gave up booze. Isbell's last night drinking before getting sober was spent in Richmond, Virginia; he got trashed on moonshine after finishing a private show.
  • This won the Song Of The Year award at the 2014 Americana Music Awards.
  • The Boot named this their Top Country Song of the 2010s. They wrote: "'Cover Me Up' features a simple melody and heart-wrenching lyrics, paired with Isbell's powerful voice to create a tear-jerking tune that's impossible to dislike."
  • Despite the personal nature of the track, "Cover Me Up" has been covered by several country artists. Morgan Wallen started playing the song just for himself as a warmup backstage for his voice before being persuaded to perform it. Eventually he released it as a single accompanied by a short film directed by Justin Clough. Wallen later included it on his 2021 Dangerous: The Double Album record.
  • Morgan Wallen's version peaked at #52, earning Isbell a healthy amount of royalties. However, after a video came to light of the singer using a racial slur, Isbell felt compelled to donate his payments to the Nashville division of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
  • Isbell filed for divorce in 2023, ending his 10-year marriage to Shires. He didn't stop performing "Cover Me Up" and other songs he wrote about her.

    Speaking with People, he said these personal songs get interpreted by listeners based on their own experiences, and not singing them would be "discrediting the emotional experience other people have had with them."

    He also added this bit of wisdom: "Just because something ended doesn't mean it failed."

Comments: 1

  • Doug Brown from Whitby OntarioGreat insight to a beautiful song.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Punk Photography of Chris Stein

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Ian Astbury of The Cult

Ian Astbury of The CultSongwriter Interviews

The Cult frontman tells who the "Fire Woman" is, and talks about performing with the new version of The Doors.